Cloud Thoughts by Daniel Strong

A visceral and heartfelt work of lyrical poetry, Cloud Thoughts by Daniel Strong explores the trials and tribulation of everyday love, loss and living, for an intimate, confessional collection.

Without the typical adornments of romantic poetry, these pieces, with titles ripped from the heart of the verses, are more reminiscent of song lyrics, or stream-of-consciousness recollections. From the endless longing of unrequited love to whimsical musings on drunken nights out, these poems range widely in both subject matter and seriousness. That sort of flexibility works well in these primarily narrative pieces, giving readers a multi-dimensional view of the poet’s heart and mind. There are a number of standout poems and lines throughout: “Ghost cannot die, for they are already dead” and “Nobody’s ever looked better in blue” are simple sentiments, but they land hard at just the right time.

In terms of technical aspects of the poetry, there is quite a bit of inconsistency in rhyme scheme and meter, with some poems strictly adhering to these rules, while others change format or break down halfway through. Additionally, the forced and slant rhymes weaken some of the pieces, compromising the image or intended emotional impact for the sake of a clever rhyme. There is also a lot of redundancy in the collection, despite its brevity; many of the poems about longing and heartbreak poems use similar language or make identical claims, which can lessen the impact of these obviously authentic memories.

As a whole, this is a collection of deeply personal poetry that would be very powerful if spoken aloud, as Daniel Strong is clearly a poet who is unafraid to dissect his own heart and lay it bare for the world to see.